The Chicago Bears are hopefully not going to be pushovers in the NFC North this year but even then, there's no denying that they play in the toughest division in the league. The Detroit Lions lead the NFC North with a 4-1 record and somehow, someway, they could improve and become scarier.
Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone mentioned how the Lions could make sense as a landing spot for Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson in a trade, and this would be Bears fans' worst nightmare. Hendrickson is a scary force on the defensive side of the ball and knows how to get to the quarterback. For a Bears o-line that has been shaky, at best, having someone like that in the division is not a fun thought.
Trey Hendrickson ending up with Lions would be worst-case scenario for Bears fans
Unfortunately, this potential move does make sense all around, even though it sucks for Bears fans to admit. Hendrickson will turn 31 years old in December and is slated to hit free agency when the season ends. Considering all of the contract drama that took place between him and the Bengals, it feels like he won't be returning to Cincinnati next year.
Now, the Bengals did just trade for Joe Flacco, and the AFC North, for the first time in what feels like forever, is a winnable division. If Flacco can help them win games and stay afloat before the deadline, then the Bengals probably won't trade Hendrickson even if they do need to try to get something back for him.
In other words, Bears fans should be rooting for the Bengals to win games so that Hendrickson isn't someone the Lions can acquire. Anything that makes the Detroit Lions a better team is a no-go for Bears fans. That team is already scary enough, they don't need more juice.
As for how this would impact the Bears, they actually don't play the Lions again until the final game of the regular season. They got thumped by Detroit in just the second game of the season, but hopefully, a lot changes between now and that Week 18 match-up. Obviously, I don't mean Hendrickson joining the division, but more like the Bears improving and being in the playoff picture by that point.
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There's no doubt that Hendrickson, who has 17.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons and already has four through five games this year, would be a menace in Detroit, so come on, Bengals! Keep winning games (except against Chicago in a few weeks) to avoid this becoming a possibility.